


Book One: Hero's Spirit

by jaximus



Series: Repeating Cycles [1]
Category: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-25
Updated: 2015-12-10
Packaged: 2018-04-01 03:01:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4003351
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jaximus/pseuds/jaximus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The eldest of three children, a student at Skyloft's own Knight Academy reflects on her adventures throughout the events of the life of the first incarnation of the original chosen hero and the goddess reborn.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Pregame - Skyloft

**Author's Note:**

> So, uh, this is my first work on AO3, and honestly, my first big work in a while that I've decided 'oh, what the heck, i'll publish it'.
> 
> This started about a year ago with the creation of an OC that I wanted to ingrain into the lore, and have a reason to be.
> 
> This first 'chapter' is more of a prologue, size-wise, but I certainly hope it meets standards.

The Wing Ceremony was going on, and yet, there I sat in the Headmaster's study, sifting through pages and pages in books no one else has ever seen, writing in this silly little book I received for my last birthday.

It's not that I didn't care, no. I have a friend in the ceremony, and I did truly hope he out-flew those three doofuses, Groose and his cronies. They deserve to get a good hit in the face from reality every once in a while.

But that morning, I was much too invested on the things I was reading, about an era long lost to us Skyloftians, the era of the hero chosen by the great goddess Hylia. I didn't look up from the book until a voice from the doorway startled me, making me drop the tome and lose my page.

“Professor! I didn't see you standing there. Should I go ahead out to the plaza? I know you said you wished for me to attend the ceremony.”

The professor shook his head at me and gestured to the window. “I'm afraid you missed the whole thing, dear. Link won and went through with the ceremony alongside Zelda...”

“But?”

“But there was a...an incident, you could say. Link is currently recovering, and Zelda...”

“What about her?”

“We think she fell beneath the clouds.”

A thrumming, echoing silence filled the room, pressing down on my chest. My head felt light, and I swayed.

“Fell...fell through? She's...gone?”

“...We're afraid so, Aella.”

That was the last thing I heard as I slumped back in my chair in a faint. Now, fainting isn't something weird for me. I'm not allowed to fly by myself because of it.

It's how I befriended Link and Zelda in the first place as a child. They had their loftwings a year before I did, and they both offered to take turns flying with me so I didn't plummet to my death beneath the clouds.

Sometimes I wonder that, maybe if I had been there, I could have caught Zelda like she'd done for me many times.


	2. Sealed Grounds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link and Aella have an interesting trip.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to thank any and all people who take the time to get the entire script of a game and put it a document. It helped with writing this chapter.
> 
> I don't own LoZ, Nintendo does, Aella is mine, etc, etc

After that, all I heard about anything the next few days were the hush-hush whispers between the professors and the headmaster, and even from what I heard from them, they didn't even know what was happening themselves.

I decided that it was no good sitting around and waiting for someone to tell me what was going on. I went and searched for Link on my own time, after reading through that one “theoretical” book on what was beneath the clouds. I had a hunch that somehow, the knowledge could be useful.

At the time, I was not expecting at all just how useful it would be.

I spent the morning in the bazaar, as I normally did, buying a few potions and getting my fortune told. Usually, the seer told me the same old thing – my future was clouded and hard to read. But he said that for most people. Today, it seemed to un-cloud enough to be accurately read...ish.

“I hope you like adventure, dear girl. You're in for a large one! ...But that is all I can see. Now go; my eyes, they grow weary.”

So I left him, sighing as I shouldered my bag – only filled with books smuggled from the headmaster's personal collection. All my notebooks stayed in the classroom, at my seat.

Classes had been canceled in the recent events, with Zelda's disappearance and all that. So I took my time to walk along from the bazaar back to the academy and drop off my bag. I touched a note pinned onto my wall and left my room, locking on the way out for safe measure.

I found Link leaving the bazaar as I walked to the plaza. “Oh, good! You're still here. Listen, I wanted to ask something of you. You can't really say no.”

Link arched an eyebrow, encouraging me to keep talking.

“Take me with you, wherever you're going.”

“No.”

Now, see, Link didn't talk too much, not when he didn't need to. And I had certainly never heard him tell me no – except for Remlits. Remlits were different, though. He said it playfully, with a smile.

Why did he look so...defeated?

“Link, she's my friend too. I deserve to look for her with you.”

“Aella, no. I'm not letting you.”

“Why not?”

“Because it's dangerous.”

I rolled my eyes. He doubted me, something he should have learned a long time ago not to do. I took a step up to him, hands on my hips. I was quite a bit shorter than him, but I stood on my toes and inhaled deeply to look bigger, frowning and furrowing my brow.

“Yes, you look very menacing.”

“Pleeeeease?”

“...Fine, you can go. But if it gets even the tiniest bit too dangerous, I'm hauling you back here.”

“Why is it that the biggest sentences are always you threatening to keep me safe?”

Ahhh, there it was. That signature blush. See, Link was strange. I wasn't sure of his feelings for anyone. Sure, he'd lay with me and a group of Remlits until nightfall, and we'd race the same Remlits all the way back to the academy, trying not to get our feet slashed. But on the same token, Zelda was the one he chose to fly with all the time. The one who stood up for him when it came to Groose.

After a few minutes of preparation, Link and I stood on a jumping platform. He put a hand on my shoulder before taking a running start and leaping off, myself right behind him. I shut my eyes and took a deep breath. I heard him call his loftwing, and for a moment I expected him not to catch me.

But he did. I landed in his arms and settled him behind him, my arms latched around his waist.

“If you feel faint just keep hold. You won't fall.”

I nodded and simply shut my eyes, holding onto his waist tighter as I felt us descend in a slow spiral.

“Okay, we're gonna have to jump off.”

“E-EH?!”

I was given no other warning as he launched us – both of us – off of his loftwing and into the air. I vaguely heard him say something that sounded like 'hold on!' but I wasn't sure.

I clung to him anyway.

I must have fainted on the way down, and as I came to, all I could see was Link's concerned face hovering above me.

“That was a rough landing, I'm sorry. Are you all right?”

“Yeah, yeah. I'm fine. Where are we?”

“I'm...not entirely sure. I have a feeling I'll need this thing, though.”

I knew the sword on his back was special, as it was different in both hilt and sheath than the normal ones in the academy. But when he slowly drew it and showed me, I was, well…

I don't even know if there's a word in the Hylian language to describe how I felt.

He helped me up with his free hand, making sure I was steady before releasing my arm, walking calmly down the grassy area. It was peaceful and quiet, and I really, really liked it there. I could have stayed there all day if I had really wanted to.

Until the carnivorous plants showed up.

Not only that, but Link was talking to himself, it seemed, about the enemies before us. He managed to kill the...plants...easily, but I didn't dare question his sanity, even as he pocketed a blob of goo from one of them.

We reached a door, and Link tested it with a push.

“I think it's sealed somehow...”

I shrugged, stepping a little ahead of him.

“Hey, maybe we should go down to the bo- Link?”

I turned to look at him before stopping, seeing that he was caught in some sort of trance, clutching his temples. I wanted to do something, run to him, call his name, something.

But I couldn't bring myself to. It wasn't that I didn't know what to do or anything, I just...I couldn't. Whatever he was seeing, he needed to see it.

I stood awkwardly to the side while I waited for him to snap out of it. When he did, he looked dazed. I offered again, gently, to go to the bottom of the spiraling grassy path. He took the lead, sword still in hand despite the empty, serene feeling the place gave me.

“Ae, stay here.”

“Why?” I looked around him (he had stopped dead in front of me) to see a small stake sticking out of the ground, oozing a black smoke-like substance. “Oh. That looks friendly.”

Link stayed silent as he approached it. Until the plants, of course. So when he stood a ways away from it, holding the blade to the sky, I was...confused was a light word to use.

“What in the goddess' name-”

“Sh.”

I wasn't expecting the bright flash of light to come from the sword. Nor was I expecting this light to collide with the stake, slamming it into the ground. The ground trembled, and Link nodded as he started traveling back up the path, pointing his sword out in front of him.

“What are you doing?”

“Dowsing.”

The word was lost on me, but I nodded and continued behind him. We reached the strange locked door at the top just to watch the seal fade away.

“Do you think we can go inside now?” I asked, tilting my head.

“Only one way to find out, I guess.”

He pushed the doors open and we entered, glancing around. The place looked empty. It was old and bleak looking, aside the few rays of light that shone through the crumbling roof.

“Wow...this place is beautiful...” I looked around, breaking away from Link to wander. I found a door and tugged on the handle, frowning as a lock rattled. I didn't see one. Was it outside?

“Hey, are you sure this is a good idea? We're...kind of locked in here.”

“I don't think so. Stay there.”

This was the second time he had told me to stay put now. Was this truly as necessary as he thought it was? I watched him approach the stairs that led to another set of doors, where something sat still and silent in front of them. Link was approaching the shape slowly, and stopped once it began to speak to him.

“Ah...the traveler descended from the clouds above. I welcome you, child of fate.”

It was an old woman's voice. Slowly, I approached Link from behind, startling him as I kicked a rock, sending it scattering across the area. He frowned, noticing I didn't listen to his instructions of staying put.

“Tell me, what is your name?”

“Link.”

“...Link? Ah, Link. Good. Very good. ...And who is your companion?”

Link looked to me with an arched eyebrow, encouraging me silently to introduce myself. I glared at him, knowing he was perfectly capable of telling this old woman my name like he was asked.

“My name is Aella.” I had a sudden, heavy feeling that maybe I shouldn't be there…

“I see. Good, good.” She looked back to Link, continuing, “I sense you have already gained control over the sacred power that fills your sword when pointed skyward. The Skyward Strike is yours to command. It is proof that you are fit to bear the blade you carry, the Goddess Sword. I have sat here for many years waiting for you to arrive. All so that I could fulfill my purpose as your guide.”

I raised my hand a little, and the woman looked at me expectantly.

“You say you've waited, but for just Link? Or both of us?”

She didn't answer me, but turned back to Link, her braid swinging slowly.

“You stand under the roof of the Sealed Temple, a place built by the goddess an eternity ago. Your arrival here was...mostly predestined many, many years ago. The spirit maiden you seek arrived here shortly before you, descending to this land in a shower of light. There's no doubting it. The gears of fate have begun to turn.”

She was speaking directly to Link, and I felt the unwelcome feeling return.

“Yet all is not as it should be. The spirit maiden was not meant to reach this land in the manner she did. I feel an evil power working in the shadows. It moves to warp the destiny of which you two are part. Link… You are concerned for the spirit maiden and seek her whereabouts, yes? ...That is understandable, but for now you must focus on moving forward.”

Link frowned and opened his mouth as if to say something.

“That girl has her own purpose she must pursue, as do you. She set out for Faron Woods to discover that destiny for herself, and you must follow. Show me your map.”

Link pulled a map from his bag and presented it to the woman. It was rather simple to gather the map was imbued with magic of some kind, as the image on the parchment swirled and changed from the regions of the sky to a more localized area.

“This X upon your map marks the path that will lead you to Faron Woods. You will be traveling in unfamiliar land. Many monsters have settled here, and a map may not prove guidance enough for you journey. And so I will give you the power to create beacons. When a beacon is marked on your map, a column of light will stand at that location. It will act as your waypoint from afar. Touch the point on the map to place a beacon.”

Curiously, I peeked around Link's arm, holding one edge of the map as he gently tapped his finger on the red X. The both of us jumped as a blue light came from the map and was reduced to a small circle of blue.

“Though you cannot see it from where we are, a beacon stands outside to guide you. Leave the temple through the front doors, and see for yourself. When you no longer have a use for a beacon, you can remove it from your map by touching it again.”

We nodded, and Link rolled up the map, placing it back in its holster.

“Use your beacons well, and you will never fear getting lost. Go now. You must head into Faron Woods and chase after the spirit maiden... the one you call Zelda.” There was a fondness in the old woman's voice. Tender, caring.

There was a click near the doors I had attempted to open. Had the woman opened them from where she sat?

Link began to descend the stairs, looking behind him only to check that I was following.

The old woman spoke again, saying, “On your way out, take the contents of the treasure chest within this room. What you find there should prove useful to you on your journey.”

Link raised an eyebrow suspiciously but walked to the small chest, removing a bottled potion. It looked like one of the super ones – that restored both the user's health and automatically repaired their shields.

As we approached the doors, the old lady began to speak again.

“You are ready. Leave through the door before you, and head into the woods. I wish you safe travel. And know that all the questions you have now will be answered in time. For now, Link, go bravely!”

With that, Link pushed open the door and we stepped out into the bright sunlight.


	3. Faron Woods

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link and Aella find their way into Faron Woods.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS LONG I'M SO SO SORRY but my chapter setup is going to have a lot of this. I apologize in advance and so many brownie points to whoever actually reads this whole thing.

“Link?” He tensed as I spoke once he closed the heavy door. He turned to me, an eyebrow raised. “Do you think I should be here? That I'm a part of this...destiny?”

His looked softened and he slung and arm over my shoulders and squeezed them gently. “You are now, like it or not.”

I nodded, and we started our walking, both of us jumping as we got close to a clearing, surprised by both the sight and the clamor coming from it.

“Out of the way! Scram!”

Link pushed away from me at once and had his sword at the ready, leaping into this fray before us. A large...thing...was being attacked by small, fast red monsters surrounding it. Link felled them all quickly and sheathed his blade, gesturing me over with a wave of his hand. I stood at his side, studying this creature.

Now, I'm not a writer or anything, so the description of this thing is rough at most.

He was large and tan, with white tattoos spanning his body and a small amount of gray hair on his head and face. He wasn't unfriendly, just...unappealing to look at, honestly.

“Whew! Thanks for jumping in there to rescue me, bud!”

Me and Link exchanged a look.

“Just who were those red pests? I did not expect to run into a pack of them in this peaceful forest. Same goes for you. This is the second time I've bumped into one of your kind today. I tell you, all sorts of weird things are going on lately. I owe you big for taking care of those guys, so let me tell you something fascinating.”

Link started to open his mouth to speak, looking a little disturbed. “We--”

“Hey, bud! I am Gorko the Goron. I am researching the ancient history of the woods here. According to the ancient texts, there is some kind of place up above called the Isle of the Goddess. Far up in the sky! Apparently, these old statues serve as landmarks to those traveling up to the sky or down from this Isle of the Goddess place. If you find one, be sure to examine it to keep tabs on the number of landmarks. They are rumored to be quite useful. Supposedly this statue is special, as it is said to have the ability to  
activate all the other statues. The whole thing sounds a little crazy, I know, but I for one believe it to be  
true! Otherwise, why would all these statues be here all over the place? It is a real head-scratcher, bud. Makes you want to know more, does it not?”  
  
Neither of us had the heart to tell him that was where we had come from and that these statues were what we used to pray to the goddess Hylia. But Link nodded. “Yeah!”  
  
I internalized a scream of horror.  
  
“Ah, sounds like I have a fellow connoisseur of ancient cultures here! All right, bud, you had better brace yourself, because I am about to blow your mind.” Gorko looked excited, and Link looked back at my horrified face and winked.  
  
I have never, ever wanted to punch this boy more than I did in that very moment.  
  
“So get this: people actually live on this sky island, and they get around by flying on the backs of huge birds that are way bigger than birds down here! Up there everyone reveres the goddess, and the residents of all the islands in the sky live in a perfect society, totally free of conflict or unhappiness. Not only that, but from what I can tell, their civilization is way, way more advanced than ours down here.”  
  
Link nodded solemnly, looking interested.  
  
“But it does not even stop there, bud! The Isle of the Goddess has even more stuff to marvel at! The place was crafted by the goddess herself, so it figures that it is filled with wonders we do not have here.” Gorko looked so excited, I had to smile a little at his enthusiasm. It made me wonder how much of life in the sky I took for granted...  
  
“Oh, I can imagine,” Link agreed.  
  
“The buildings are all made of gold! An endless spring of mystical water feeds a river through the place. One sip of that stuff, and you live forever! The trees are heave with plump fruit that cures all disease! The fields are crowded with pumpkins that never rot! Magic wildflowers bloom everywhere! And the weather. Oh, the weather, bud! Not too hot, not too cold. No chance of sweaty heat in this garden paradise! That is the Isle of the Goddess… Amazing, right? WRONG! IT IS BEYOND AMAZING!” He was in our faces, grinning as he told his story.  
  
Link and I glanced at each other and silenced our laughter.  
  
“You want to hear more about it, don't you bud?” Gorko asked Link, leaning in and grinning with his full-toothed smile.  
  
“Sure!” Link answered, nudging me playfully.  
  
“Good to hear, bud! I am completely obsessed with this place. I cannot get enough of it! I wish I had more to tell you now, but I will need to research these statues to learn more. Next time I bump into you, I will give you the latest info!”  
  
He turned away and Link sighed in relief, pulling me towards the old bird statue to offer a prayer. As we approached, the statue seemed to revert from old and grimy to shiny and new, purple and yellow light reflecting from the sun filtering down.  
  
“WHOA! What in the world just happened? Did you use some kind of magic? The statue reacted the moment you got near it, bud. How crazy is that? I have to examine this statue further, bud. Who knows what I might find out!” Gorko looked ready to rip our heads off in his excitement.  
  
“E-er, good luck with your findings, Gorko.” I told him, and Link tugged me along to search for the beacon.  
  
Once we passed it, I noticed Link's sword flash brightly. “Link, what-”  
  
I was not expecting to see the air rippling in front of him. There was the faint form of a figure floating in the air, and the words spoken were barely a whisper.  
  
“Master, you have entered Faron Woods.”  
  
The sight before us was amazing. Everything was full and flushed with green, with splashes of bright colors from flowers and fruit hanging from the trees. The forest sounded serene and quiet, and there was the faintest sound of bubbling water.  
  
If this was what had been below the clouds the entire time, why had it been kept a secret? Why weren't we told about what a brilliant, beautiful place resided on the Surface?  
  
“The plentiful water in this region clearly sustains a large diversity of flora, including the massive tree. It is logical that the lush plant life and water resources have attracted animal species to the region.” The voice the spoke was far away, a whisper on the winds. “Looking at the probabilities, it is extremely likely that Zelda is somewhere in the area. I recommend you continue to use your dowsing ability to search for her.”  
  
Link nodded in confirmation. “Thank you, Fi,” he answered, pulling his sword from it's sheath.  
  
“Link, what was that?”  
  
“What was what?”  
  
“The voice, and the figure.”  
  
“Oh, that was Fi. She's the spirit of this sword. Isn't that neat?”  
  
I nodded. It was cool, yes, but I felt my purpose here lower another level.  
  
The flashing of his sword led us to a creature being attacked by more of those creatures (Link said Fi called them Bokoblins).  
  
“Huh…? It's gone quiet.” The creature stood up from where it was laid out on its stomach, and looked around until its eyes met Link. “Kwee-koo! Now there's a green one! I didn't even know they came in green! Dont hurt me, koo-weep!”  
  
Link, hurt this tiny creature? Really? I said nothing as it ran off as fast as it's tiny legs could take it.  
  
“Master, I picked up a highly interesting spike in dowsing reading from the creature you just encountered.” Fi had returned to speak with Link with her weird, far away voice.  
  
Link looked up. “Really?” His voice had a tone of eagerness and confusion to it that I could only smile at.  
  
“Yes, Master. Based on the creature's characteristics, I must conclude that it is a peaceful, forest-dwelling animal known as a Kikwi. Kikwis are intelligent beings capable of speech. However, such a creature could obviously not be confused with Zelda. It is unclear why such a creature would elicit a dowsing response attuned to Zelda. You should follow the creature and investigate the phenomenon.”  
  
...Well, she wasn't wrong in her advice.  
  
Using the dowsing mechanism with his sword, we were able to track down the creature and finally corner him to a tree.  
  
“It spotted me again!” The creature cowered. “Kweee!... ...Huh? You don't want to...eat me? Kwee… And come to think of it, why did you fight off all those red monsters?” He stood back up, patting dirt off of his belly. “Kee-paleep! I'm Machi. I'm a Kikwi. You seem OK, even though you're scary. Thanks for helping me! That's weird, kee-koo. A little while ago I ran into another funny animal like you, but that one was a girl.”  
  
Link gripped his hands into tight fists. “Who?”  
  
“I don't know who she was, but she seemed to be in big trouble when I saw her. She a friend of yours, kwee?”  
  
Link nodded enthusiastically, and I laughed behind my hand.  
  
“A pack of those mean red guys were after her, kwee, but she escaped with the Kikwi elder.”  
  
Link nodded, relaxing a little with the knowledge that Zelda was safe. I felt better, as well, but a gnawing feeling in my gut kept telling me that maybe, just maybe, I should go home and wait it out…  
  
A small flash from Link's sword notified me that Fi had once more appeared. Apparently, the little guy saw Fi too and was terrified, as it flopped back on its belly with a terrified squeal.  
  
“Master, we have obtained new information on Zelda's current status. This information indicates that she was assailed by monsters but somehow evaded capture. However, I infer that she is still in significant danger.”  
  
Link made a strangled noise in his throat.  
  
“I have marked the position of the Kikwi known as Machi. Please confirm your current location. Furthermore, my analysis suggests that this Kikwi most likely produces a false-positive dowsing reaction due to previous direct contact with Zelda. Using this hypothesis, I theorize there is an eighty-five percent chance that the Kikwi elder will also generate a dowsing reaction for the same reason. I propose you continue dowsing to search for Zelda.”   
  
Link nodded in understanding and the air stopped shimmering, the light on Link's sword dimming. Machi looked around and stood up, brushing off its belly.  
  
“You really spooked me, kwee... You keep some very strange company, friend. Kee-paleep... It sounds like you're set on finding this friend and the elder. If you're heading that way anyway, kwee, would you mind telling our elder that I'm safe?” Machi waddled right up to Link and looked up, blinking its big eyes up at him.  
  
Link nodded. “We'll tell him that you're safe, Machi.”  
  
“Cheer up, koo-weep! I bet your friend is safe with our elder.”  
  
With that, we nodded and set off to look for the kikwi elder. It wasn't that hard to find him, actually, as he was just a very large Kikwi. The issue arose as to how, exactly, we would be getting to him.  
  
We found a small plateau with a rope attached to a plant. After Link dispatched the carvivorous plant in front of it, he sliced through the plant and jumped from the grass to the rope, and to the land on the other side, turning and looking at me expectingly.  
  
“You...want me...to do that?” I asked, stepping back a little, nervous.  
  
“Well, duh! We won't make progress any other way.”  
  
Didn't need to be such a...a...an asshole over it, sheesh. But I did as he had, gingerly leaping from the grassy platform to the rope, and finally landed next to Link. He waited patiently as I caught my balance.  
  
“That wasn't so bad!”  
  
“Shut up.”  
  
We walked to the sandy middle of the raised land, where a much larger version of Machi lay on its belly, as if that helped it hide.  
  
Getting closer, it jumped up onto it's feet, making the both f us jump back with a start.  
  
“Kweeee-heee… I am Bucha, the Kikwi elder. I saw the way you spotted me through my ingenious camouflage. Kweee, you are cleary a master woodsman.”  
  
Link and I exchanged a look at 'ingenious camouflage'. Someone was certainly full of themselves.  
  
“Mister Bucha, uh, sir,” I spoke, stepping up to him. “We've met another like you. Machi. He is safe.”  
  
Bucha puffed up in excitement. “What? You say you've met some of my people, kweee?”  
  
The two of us nodded in unison. “Yes, and we're looking for one of our own. A blonde girl,” I replied, holding my hand up to gauge her height. “About this tall.”  
  
“Hmmm… Yes. At one point during the monster panic here, I did speak with a blonde girl of your kind, kwee.” Bucha's face twitched. “But now is not the time for such talk. The forest is full of monsters, and I am worried about my missing tribe. Kweee… The shock and worry has made my memories of the girl quite hazy...”  
  
I wasn't buying it – a favor for information. Wonderful.  
  
Bucha cleared his throat, his large body trembling at the action. “Three Kikwis are still unaccounted for. Could I ask you to search for them and make sure they are safe, kweee? I am worried sick about my fellow Kikwis. If you could calm my fears, I might be able to remember more about where the girl you seek went off to, kwee.”  
  
“Of course we'll find them, Bucha,” Link swore, and the two of us turned to leave.  
  
“Master.”  
  
Oh. It was Fi – the air was rippling where she was apparently floating – did Link see her like this too?  
  
“Learning that Zelda is no longer with the Kikwi elder is an unfortunate setback. But he may still have useful information. Taking this in account, I calculate an eighty-five percent probability that your quest will be aided if you find the lost Kikwis for the elder.”  
  
Her voice was so strange, barely there in my head. It was annoying.  
  
“To ensure you do not revisit the same Kikiwis over, I will mark discovered Kikwi's on your map. This concludes my explanation.”  
  
Fi disappeared, leaving me rubbing my temples. Link seemed unaffected, and simply drew his sword and started to dowse with it. “Follow me.”  
  
“...Do we have to?”  
  
“You can stay here with Bucha, if you don't want to. Are you lightheaded?”  
  
I sighed. “I feel fine, Link! I'm not a _constant_ risk of falling out!”  
  
Link looked back to me and grinned. “Then come on. We're going to backtrack to Machi and see where that takes us.”  
  
And that's what we did. We swung back onto the other side and found our way back to the first Kikwi. Using his dowsing, Link led me up a ledge, pulling me out of the way of a bush spitting rocks at us by jumping down a hole.  
  
“It's an Octorock!”  
  
“Seems so. Only disguised as a bush.” I kept it in mind for later, in case we came across more.  
  
“Come on, I think it's down here.”  
  
We followed the path along until we came across another one of the creatures. Link approached it and knelt down to get it's attention.  
“Don't eat me! I taste TERRIBLE! Let me go, kwee!”  
  
Link laughed softly and my heart skipped a beat.  
  
“I'm not going to eat you. Neither of us are. Bucha was worried about you.”  
  
“...Huh? The elder was worried about me? I'm glad to hear he's safe, kwee! I'm, Oolo. If you meet the elder again, tell him I'm here, kee-paleep!”  
  
“Will do,” Link answered, nodding up at me for confirmation – though I didn't like the idea of going back up to large fluffy creatures twice our size.  
  
“I don't know if it's safe yet… I'm going to stay here awhile longer and wait for those monsters to go away.”  
  
Link nodded and stood up, approaching me. “C'mon. Let's find the others,” he whispered, pulling his sword out to find the others using his dowsing.  
  
This one caused us to go back to the Kikwi elder, and led us _under the Din-damned tree_. I looked at him like he was stupid, obviously, but he wasn't budging, pointing his hand still to the opening in the bottom of the tree, _expecting_  me to crawl under it.  
  
I wish this was the most messy I'd get during this adventure, you know.  
  
Eventually, after a nice stare-off, I crouched and wiggled through the opening with only minor difficulty, seeing as I wasn't the most...thin person on Skyloft.  
  
Link followed, brushing himself off. “Do you want to climb up first or should I?” He gestured to the vines in front of us. Thehy didn't look too hard to climb, but…  
  
“We don't know what's waiting for us at the top. You're the one with the weapon – and you know I can't wield a sword.”  
  
He nodded, acknowledging my point. “You're right. I'll tell you if it's safe to climb up once I'm up there.”  
  
I nodded and leaned against the vines as he climbed them. They were cool and green, pleasant against my face – it was starting to get a little sunburnt.  
  
On Skyloft, we don't get burnt too much because we truly spend many days inside, unless we are farming pumpkins. So having a sunburn on my face was unpleasant.  
  
“All right, come on up! But there's a...minor problem.”  
  
With a frown, I crawled up the vines, Link helping me haul myself onto the ledge and helping me to my feet. I saw the problem almost immediately.  
  
A tightrope.  
  
 _Lovely._  
  
And they had small burrs on them.  
  
“You probably shouldn't touch the spiky things.”  
  
“Really now?”  
  
Link sighed and stepped out onto it – it seemed to be made of vine and rather flexible – Link could bounce on it and it wouldn't snap, but the burrs fell off. I watched him inch across, and started across myself.  
  
“Aella, wha-”  
  
“I'm following you, dummy. Let me concentrate.”  
  
I did pretty well until the end, when I slipped and Link snatched me off of the vine before I smashed my face into the ground.  
  
We inched to the other ledge – there was one of those monsters, and it had a horn attached to its hip. I gripped Link's arm nervously.  
  
“Calm down. It'll be fine. We'll both drop down, but I'll confront the monster. It won't know you're here. Okay?”  
  
“All right. You have the sharp thing.”  
  
I watched Link dispatch all of the creatures and made my way over once he waved that it was safe.  
  
“Kikwi!”  
  
I looked up and...there was a kikwi in the tree.  
  
“You fought off all those red guys. So does that mean...you're a good guy?”  
  
Link nodded, sheathing his sword for emphasis.  
  
“See, I've got this problem. My legs have turned to jelly, and I can't get down. Think you could help me, kwee?”  
  
“Master.”  
  
Fi.  
  
“I detect no monsters in the immediate area and therefore conclude it is safe for the kikwi to leave its perch. It seems that this kikwi is unable to descend the tree. I suggest you find a way to expedite his dismount.”  
  
Link made a face at the air, not appreciating Fi's advice for once, it seemed. He looked at me for help.  
  
“I don't know. Shake the tree? Or- Oh, don't the kids on Skyloft like...roll into the trees? To get bugs down?”  
  
“Aella, I-”  
  
“Roll into the tree, Link.”  
  
Grumbling, he walked back a small distance and took a running start before going shoulder first into the tree. Once the kikwi fell, a rope unraveled after – our way out, I hoped.  
  
“Ouch! That, uh...was effective. Anyway, thanks to you, I'm saved, kee-paleep!”  
  
Link rubbed his shoulder, grimacing. “Uh, yeah. The elder was worried about you and the others.”  
  
“Really? The elder was worried about me? Well, I'm glad to hear he's safe, kwee-koo. My name's Lopsa. If you see the elder again, can you please tell him where I am?”  
  
“Of course we will, Lopsa.”  
  
As I was hauling myself up the rope after Link, I could heat the poor thing commenting about its shaking legs.  
  
Jumping down off the ledge, Link commented that we were near the last kikwi according to his dowsing reading, and led me past a temple-looking structure with a bird statue atop it. Continuing on, Link cut down more f the red creatures – he said Fi called them Bokoblins – and led me up to a group of vines on the wall.  
  
“You can do this one yourself. Not feeling up for all that.” Even though Stamina Fruit riddled the vines, I doubted I'd make it up to them. So I leaned against a tree until Link leaped down and approached me with his hand outstretched.  
  
Standing up, we walked back through the area until we got near the Elder's hiding place. I stopped Link to go to a small waterfall and pools of water.  
  
“I'm parched, Link. It's clean as can be, anyway.”  
  
After removing any enemies from the area, we waded to the pool higher up to drink from, and I caught my reflection.  
  
The flight and fall down had tangled my hair into curly blond mats, and wind and sun left me with red cheeks and stronger freckles over my nose and cheeks. Tired green eyes stared back at me and blinked with me once, twice, three times.  
  
My Knight Academy uniform was smeared with dirt and grass stains and was riddles with tears and rips. It would take a while to get it back in presentable condition…  
  
I asked myself what I was getting myself into.  
  
After drinking and washing our faces we clambered up the slope nearby and made it across to the Elder Kikwi once more.  
  
“Elder Bucha, we've located all of your Kikwis. They're all completely safe.”  
  
Bucha fluffed himself up in what I _assumed_  was happiness.  
  
“Kwee! So all my fellow Kikwis are well. And they want me to stop worrying? Aha, excellent! They know me too well. You have a real talent for finding whatever is missing, kweee. I don't know who you are or where you come from, but you have my thanks. Kwee hee hee, I feel much less worried now! I believe I just remembered where that young lady went!”  
  
Link perked right up, gripping my arm with his fingers.  
  
“That young girl...Zelda – was that her name? Yes...it's all coming back to me. She said she had to travel to the temple deep within these woods, kweee… Oho! I tried to warn her about how dangerous it was there, but the clever little thing vaulted off my belly and ran off on her own just the same.” Bucha gestured over towards the northern part of the forest. “I think she headed down that way toward the temple, kwee...but be sure to take great care if you follow her. That area is crawling with monsters.”  
  
“Thank you, Bucha,” I replied, tugging Link along to the rope to get back across.  
  
“Oho! I almost forgot, kwee! As a reward for finding all my fellow Kikwis, I will give you a previous Kikwi heirloom. Let me just fetch it for you right now, kweee, Pardon me a moment...”  
  
He flopped onto his belly and his tiny bush tail expanded, showing a small object – a slingshot!  
  
“With that slingshot, kwee,” Bucha started as ink examined it in his hand, “you should be able to find a path into the Deep Woods where the temple is. To start, why not try shooting that curled-up vine over there? If you run out of ammunition, just grab some seeds from the fruit that grows from the trees.”  
  
Link nodded, loading the slingshot with a small seed and aiming it at the vine. He let it fly, and the vine unfurled.  
  
“Now go find that girl! I'll be rooting for you. Kwee heh heh.”  
  
Link and I leaped across the gap and made our way to the structure I'd seen earlier. Climbing the steps, we both murmured a small prayer to Hylia before Link shot down another curled up vine and we used it to swing further into the woods, and closer to Zelda.


End file.
